Resin-fiber composites are utilized in a variety of applications, such as parts of vehicles, including aircraft. Vehicles, equipment, and structures constructed utilizing resin-fiber composites may be exposed to heat in a variety of circumstances, ranging from fire to lightening strikes to weapons impacts.
Heat exposure to resin-fiber composite affects the composites in a variety of ways. Chemical degradation may occur involving changes in the polymer chemical structure. This may include oxidation, material loss and either the breaking or forming of additional chemical links. Resin decomposition, charring, and ultimately fiber decomposition may occur at increasing temperatures. Repair or removal of heat damaged resin-fiber composite materials involves determining the degree of harmful heat damage to the composite substrate. Ascertaining the degree of heat damage to composite materials is typically performed by visual inspection, but heat damage to resin-fiber composites is not always visually apparent. Thus, current visual heat damage inspections of resin-fiber composites involve a substantial degree of subjectivity. Therefore, there currently exists an unmet need in the art for a non-destructive, quantitative, objective determination of a degree of heat damage to resin-fiber composite materials.